One I Knew
by Lynnlee22
Summary: *Philly centric* Phyllis finds herself on the losing end of everything with no one to turn to and no one on her side. Will anyone rescue an outcast?
1. Chapter 1

Billy, I ..." She stopped short as she reached the open office door, the eyes that met her gaze surprising her. She smiled warmly as she walked past the table and closer to the desk. "I didn't know she was here." Her shoulder tilted back towards Katie.

"Well she is." His tone was short and curt, as it almost always was with her lately. He blamed her for Victoria's situation, for the charges, for the denied bail, for all of it. "Now you know." Billy's eyes narrowed as he waited for her to react. "And I can't imagine you'd have the gall to say anything about it because if it wasn't for ..."

"Billy ..." She held up her hand to stop him. The last thing she wanted was to go yet another round with him today. "Of course not. It's fine. Whatever you need. I was just coming to make sure you had everything you needed for this afternoon." The blank look on his face spoke volumes. "The marketing meeting with the new ..."

"Damn it!" He slammed the file down on his desk as he ran his hand roughly across his face. Katie's wide eyes peered at him from behind Phyllis' back.

"Daddy," she said quietly, "Mommy says ..."

"Mommy's right. It's not a nice word. I'm sorry. I shouldn't say it."

"Grandpa still says it sometimes too." Katie shrugged as she resumed her place at the table.

"I'm guessing that response means you forgot." Phyllis sighed and rocked back on her heels. "I really need you at that meeting, Billy. Jabot needs you at that meeting."

"Well unless it's gonna be kid friendly, I just don't see any way I can make arrangements for anyone to keep her on this kind of notice. Jack and Kerry are out of town and ..."

She knew he wanted to throw it in her face again, the fact that he deemed all of this to be her fault, but he somehow managed to stop himself. "She can stay with me," she offered.

He froze, the look on his face vaguely incredulous. "No," he answered flatly, "not a good idea."

"I know it doesn't thrill you." She lowered her voice as she leaned further across the desk, "since you seem to think I'm the devil incarnate, but I'm pretty much the only option right now. You know as well as I do that it's absolutely crucial for Jabotiques that we land this deal. If we don't ..."

A momentary flash of something akin to agreement passed across his face before the doubt settled there again.

"Honestly, Billy!" she hissed, "what do you think I'm gonna do? I would never hurt Katie. You know that. You know me."

The silence was about more than this decision. So much weight was behind the words, the anger, the veiled shots they took every chance they could.

"I used to think so," he whispered. It wasn't anger in his voice then. This was resignation - maybe even sadness.

She watched him intensely as he moved to step out in front of her.

"Hey, Katie."

She smiled as she watched him kneel down beside the round table.

"Daddy has to go to a really big important meeting, but you're gonna stay here with Phyllis. Is that okay?"

Katie nodded before he moved to straighten again. Their eyes met for only a fraction of a second before he moved past her again and resumed his position behind the desk. "I guess I better look over my talking points." It was all business again, the moment from before long gone. "I'll drop her off in your office before I leave."

There was another moment of silent stillness. She watched as he finally lifted his head, his eyes looking at, but not into, hers. "So unless you need something else ..." He gestured to the stack of papers on his desk, his suggestion quite clear.

"No. I don't," she answered quickly. "I'll leave you to it." She turned and smiled towards Katie, who still drew happily, her teeth chewing lightly at her bottom lip in fixed concentration. "I'll see you in a bit."


	2. Chapter 2

There was plenty to do – more than she'd ever be able to accomplish actually, but she couldn't focus on any of it. Katie was no trouble. She'd been there sitting there silently her small hands stopping for only rare moments to study her progress.

As she watched the little girl work, she couldn't help but feel guilty. No matter how much she stood up for herself, no matter how much truth existed in the words she spoke, she couldn't change the facts. Victoria was in jail and, if she hadn't told Christine all the details, it was a real possibility, she wouldn't be. In the best moments, she could defend herself against Billy's rage. In the worst, she let his words sink into her head – and into her heart – and it ate her up.

She sighed as she pulled the chair out from under the table and slowly sank into it. "Wow," she said with a smile. "That's a really nice picture. Who's it for?" Her stomach tightened as she let the question leave her lips, fearing the answer would be the one that would make her feel even worse. Billy had probably prompted her to make a card for her mother and no doubt Katie's innocent response would be something similar.

Katie's eyes looked up slowly. She hesitated before returning to the picture and adding more details. "It's a secret," she whispered. "I can't tell you."

"A secret?" She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the picture. It appeared to be a series of small pictures each of which showed a glimpse into her daily life. "You mean like a surprise?"

"No." Katie smiled. "A surprise is different. This is a secret. I can't tell you because if I do then the game is over."

"The game? What game?"

"I can't tell you," she insisted, "and I have to finish the picture before tonight."

Phyllis narrowed her eyes. "So, you play the game tonight?" She smiled for only a moment before seeing the flash of despair in Katie's wide eyes. "Hey. It's okay. I'm sure you'll still get to play the game and besides …" She leaned in even closer, her voice lowering, "I'm really, really good at keeping secrets."

She could see the thoughts passing through the passing behind the expressive eyes, the pros and cons being weighed in Katie's inquisitive brain. A small sigh escaped her lips as she studied her for a long moment before finally replying, "Really?"

"Uh huh." Secrets had been an unfortunate part of her life and while they hadn't meant anything good for her, as of late, she hoped Katie's version was a lot less sinister. "I'm a really great secret keeper."

"But he said if I told anybody that he wouldn't be able to come around anymore."

There was something in her expression, in the tone of her voice and the look in her eyes – it told the depth of her struggle just as her father's always face and eyes always had. Just as she'd always tried to tell Billy, his eyes and face told her everything his words refused to. And this tone, this look – especially when coming from a sweet, innocent child somehow unnerved her. It didn't seem right, this pressure to keep a secret. "So nobody knows about this game? Not even your Mom or your Dad?"

"No. He said I couldn't tell them or Grandma or Grandpa."

"What about me?" She waited for a response, hoping she'd finally found the loophole. "Did he say you couldn't tell me?"

"No," she said softly. "He didn't say, but …"

"Well then it's okay to tell me then, right?" She spoke quickly, trying to prevent any logical thought from prevailing. "The game … the person playing with you, that's who this picture is for?"

Katie nodded slowly, still slightly unsure.

"And you said _he_ told you, so it must be a man." She couldn't help but smile as Katie's eyes widened in surprise. "See," she grinned. "I have special powers. I can keep secrets and I can magically read minds."

"You can?"

"Not really. I'm just a good listener," she added, "which is why you can tell me the truth. You can, Katie. Just tell me what's going on."

"I tried to tell him that Mommy wouldn't be mad. That she'd be happy to see him, but he said I still couldn't tell her. He said he wanted to surprise to her later."

"Who Katie?"

Katie turned the paper over, her childish print now visible. Had it been any other name, she might not have been able to complete it on her own, but given the simplicity, the need for only two simple letters, this name was one she was able to write all by herself.

"J.T." The name fell from her lips in an almost whisper as she looked into the child's sincere eyes.

* * *

She paced up and down the length of the office. Her hand shook so violently that she could barely hold the glass. The scotch did nothing to calm her nerves, the fiery burn as it ran down her throat only serving to set her body further on edge. Billy had arrived back in the office only moments ago and although he'd been annoyed with her request, he'd finally agreed to call Hannah to pick Katie up instead of dropping her off at the ranch as planned. Now she was waiting on him to return, to have the conversation she insisted was absolutely crucial. And it was – he had no idea just how crucial it was.

The chiming of the elevator made her heart drop and she rushed towards the open door, relieved to see Billy's tense face heading towards her.

"Alright," he huffed. "I'm here. You wanted me here and I'm here. What was so important that we absolutely had to discuss it tonight and why did you insist that I take Katie back to the house instead of letting her to go to the ranch. I know how you feel about Victor, but she adores him and right now I really don't like making her life any more difficult than …"

"Billy, please … just hear me out. This is so much more complicated than you could ever imagine."

"It always is with you, isn't it? You know why that is, Phyllis? Because you can't ever just tell the damn truth. Just be honest and upfront and tell the truth."

"That's why I wanted you to come here. That's what I'm trying to do. I want to tell you the truth. I want you to know what happened and I need to tell you what Katie told me." She swallowed hard. "Even though she told me not to tell anyone, even though she was so afraid to tell me because she'd been told it was a secret."

"Don't." It was pure venom that reflected at her. "Don't use Katie to try to create something between us that simply doesn't exist anymore. Katie was only here because I didn't have any other choice. Trust me if I had been able to arrange anything else, I would have. I would much rather her spend her time with someone that …"

"I get it, okay?! I get it. You think I'm a horrible person. You think I'm a terrible influence and that's fine. You can think all that about me and more, but right now I need you to shut the hell up and listen to me."

"And I need you to stop the hysterics and cut the drama and get to the point. I have a lot to do right now. I have a lot of responsibilities because, in case you've …"

"I haven't forgotten!" She slammed her hand down on the table, the glass she'd had a death grip on slipping from her hand and slamming into the cherry credenza. It shattered as they both stood there in silence. She waited a moment to let the chaos settle. "It's impossible for me to forget what you think of me," she continued finally, her voice trembling slightly. "You remind me every chance you get, but that's not what this is about. This isn't about me. This isn't about us. This is about keeping everyone safe. Katie was drawing a picture earlier. Did you ask her about it?"

"No," he admitted. "I assumed it was for Victoria. The kids have been asking a lot about her and I've just been telling them that she's out of town, but I think Johnny has started to hear things at school and I'm wondering if he might have said something to Katie because …"

"She didn't say anything like that to me and the picture wasn't for Victoria." She turned towards her desk and reached for the phone, suddenly thankful she'd thought to snap a picture. The days of Billy taking her word for anything had long since passed. "Look," she said as she held it out to him.

"What? It's a drawing. I've seen a million of them. It's all she does. It's …" He pulled the phone closer to his face, his finger tips touching the screen gingerly as he zoomed in on the image. His eyes moved finally, staring at her. "Does that say …?"

"Her friend, the one she's been playing with, the one she says no one else can see …. She told me he told her that she couldn't tell anyone about him or that the game would be over and he wouldn't be able to come and play anymore. She said he told her that she couldn't tell her Mom about him because he wanted to surprise her later."

"And she told you it was him? She said it was …" He stopped, his voice trailing off. It was ridiculous, unbelievable, and so many other things.

"J.T." she said flatly. "She said it was J.T."


	3. Chapter 3

"And she told you this? You? Not me? Not her father? Not her mother? You?"

"That's really what you want to focus on right now? Did you miss the part where Katie said she's been playing a secret game with J.T.? You remember him, right? The guy that's supposed to be dead right now? The guy we killed?" She stepped towards him, leaning to see the screen on her phone again.

"I didn't miss it," he snapped. "I just … I find it odd that Katie chose to tell you all this when she's been with me all day."

She huffed. "I just told you, she said he told her not to tell anyone. You have no idea how hard I had to work to get her to tell me and that was only because he didn't mention me specifically. And I promised her that I would keep her secret. That's why I wanted you to take her to Hannah. I didn't want her to know that I broke her confidence. If we have any chance of her telling me …"

The sound of his short puff of breath stopped her words.

"What? What does that mean?" She stared at him, completely stunned as to why he wasn't reacting.

"That's why you told me to take Katie home? Because you didn't want her to know that you told me?" He glared at her, his eyes narrowing as he studied her face. "Right. It wouldn't possibly have anything to do with he fact that you wouldn't want to try and convince my daughter to lie to my face."

"Lie to your face?! What the hell are you talking about, Billy! I just told you that J.T. is alive, that he's been playing some kind of twisted game with your daughter and you're somehow turning this into my issue."

"I don't have to." He bit back. "You already have. You always do. Everything has to be about you. Everything you say and everything you do is for one reason and one reason only and that's to serve whatever your greater purpose is."

"You know what – if you really believe that, fine! Right now, my greater purpose is keeping your daughter safe and getting you to believe that J.T. isn't dead, so whatever you think about me is secondary. I don't have time to focus on that right now. All I want to hear from you is how we're going to handle this. I can go to Christine and I can tell her what Katie told me. I've got the picture and I can show her, but I'm afraid that she'd want Katie to come in and talk to her and that would be really difficult for …"

"The picture that she drew while she was here, in _your_ office, with _you._"

"Yes. She drew the picture here. I don't see what difference that makes, Billy. Unless you're saying …" Her eyes widened as she stared at him. "You think I'm lying. You think I somehow coerced your daughter into drawing this picture?" The words escaped her at the moment, the sheer audacity of the accusations amazing her. "Why would I do that? Honestly. Why would I possibly want to do that?"

"Oh, I don't know." He chuckled sarcastically. "Maybe you don't quite like being the town pariah. It can't have been lots of fun to lose everyone and everything in the space of a few days and now, if you suddenly make J.T. alive …" He tossed his hands into the air. "Voila, no murder. Hard to charge someone with a murder if the supposed victim is walking around alive."

"So you think I manipulated Katie into drawing a picture for J.T. and into saying that she was playing a game with him so that …"

He interrupted her. "You're the only one that actually heard Katie said that."

"Oh." Her voice shook with anger now. "So now I'm lying about the entire conversation. Now, I got her to draw a picture but I've completely made up the conversation. Hell, why stop there. Maybe I drew the damn picture too."

"Maybe you did. I don't put anything past you."

"That's just great, Billy. I'm trying to keep everyone safe here. I got your daughter to open up to me, something that you and Victoria and the entire Newman clan hadn't been able to do – I did! I got her to tell me the secret she'd been keeping for weeks and then I got you to take her home instead of taking her to the ranch where I knew he could get to her. I did all that and still somehow I'm the bad one?! I'm the villain?"

"Just calling it like I see it. Being direct. Being honest. But I can see where that would be a foreign concept to someone like you."

"Damn it, Billy! Is it really that important to you to trash me? Is it more important to get digs in at me than it is to protect your daughter? To protect your family?"

"That's rich coming from you since they wouldn't need to be protected right now if it weren't for what you said and what you …."

"This isn't about me!" She screamed at him, the words echoing throughout the room. "I didn't start this. I didn't cause this. J.T. started this. He was abusing Victoria. He was hurting her and that's why Nikki did what she did. That's why we all had to do what we did and now, with what Katie told me, I think we should all be focused on finding him and making sure he gets exactly what he deserves."

Billy glared at her. "Oh believe me, I want to make sure everyone gets what they deserve."

"Okay." She let her breath out evenly, trying to quell the rage that had built up within her. "Good then maybe you can stop blaming me for this for two seconds and help me figure out what the next step needs to be. I'm not sure Christine will take my word for this, so do you think Katie would …"

"You don't actually think I believe any of this, do you?"

"What? Haven't you been listening to me? Haven't you heard a word that I've said?"

"Oh. I've heard every word. I just don't believe a damn one of them."

She stood there in front of him, her mouth slightly open as she struggled to think of something … anything she could say to get to him. The eyes that stared back at her were so different, so harsh, so cold. This wasn't the man she once knew. "Can you please just take us out of this. Just pretend this isn't coming from me. Pretend that someone else told you this. Just suppose someone else came up to you and told you that J.T. was alive. What would you think? What would you do?"

"That doesn't matter because it didn't come from someone else. It came from you. And that makes it worthless. Completely and totally worthless."

The tears that burned behind her eyes weren't any one emotion. They were a mixture of sadness, anger, despair and so many other things. "You remember," she managed, "you remember that I tried to tell you. When this all comes out, you remember that I tried to tell you the truth and you were too stubborn to listen."

For a split second, she thought he might reconsider, the look on his face softening for a mere fraction of a second but then the stony expression returned and his huff of derision filled the air. "Sure," he huffed. The sound of the door slamming behind him filled the room as she let her body fall onto the couch. She knew the truth now and it was up to her to prove it.


	4. Chapter 4

She drew in a deep breath as she checked her reflection in the rearview mirror. There were so many ways this could go wrong and still it was her only option. She reached into the passenger seat for the brightly colored bag. The smell of cheeseburgers and French fries wafted through the air as she walked quickly up the covered path towards the doors of the preschool. Her hand gripped the handle of the heavy, wooden office door. She was right on time, as well as she remembered, and she hoped no one had thought to chance the records.

"Good morning," the friendly young woman chirped as she watched Phyllis step into the room. "Can I help you with something?"

"Yes." She forced a smile as she stepped towards the counter. "I uh … I know that you sometimes allow the children to have special lunches and I wanted to see if I'd be able to have lunch with Katie Abbott today?"

"That shouldn't be a problem," she smiled. "Are you on her approved contacts card?"

On any other day, the question might have annoyed her, the young woman's apparent cluelessness making her question her qualifications, but today she found herself thankful both that she'd found an office worker that seemingly hadn't been taken with the news of the day and one that didn't seem to recognize her at all. "I should be," Phyllis smiled. "I'm her father's fiancé." The sound of the words sent a pain of regret through her. Things had changed so dramatically in such a short period of time. "Phyllis Summers."

"Let me check. And do you have your ID with you?"

She nodded, placing her wallet on the countertop as she watched the woman type onto the screen quickly.

"Phyllis Summers," she smiled, her eyes glancing down at the ID for a quick moment before looking back up at Phyllis. "You're all set. Let me just call the class and …"

"Actually if it's okay, I'd really like to surprise her. If I can just go down to the lunchroom and wait for them."

"Of course. I'm sure Katie will be really excited to see you. The kids always love when they get special visits."

The door closed quietly behind her as she stepped into the hallway. Children filed past her in orderly lines as they headed towards various locations. She could hear the singing from the music room, the sounds of laughter and shrieks from the playground, and the chorus of voices repeating after a teacher coming from one of the classrooms at far end of the wing. The sound of the lunchroom was almost overwhelming, each small grouping of children seemingly buzzed with excited chatter and conversation.

"Phyllis!"

Katie's shrill voice suddenly rang out above all the background sounds. She couldn't help but smile, despite the circumstances as she walked over towards the table. "Hi," she said to the lunchroom attendant who clearly had her hands full watching over three different classrooms of preschoolers. "I'm here to have lunch with Katie." Her hand gestured to the approved visitor's sticker she'd been given in the office. "If that's alright?" A cursory nod was the only response given.

And that was all Katie needed. Within seconds, they were seated at another table – alone and far enough away for their conversation to be private.

"I didn't know you were coming today," Katie said happily as she took a bite of the cheeseburger. "Daddy didn't tell me."

Phyllis smiled. At first she'd considered telling Katie that this would be their own game, their own secret, but she couldn't do that, not the little girl that had trusted her. She wouldn't ask her to lie to her father and she didn't need to give Billy yet another reason to hate her. "I didn't know either," she said cheerfully. "I got out of a meeting early and I thought to myself, 'What do I want to do for lunch today?'"

Katie grinned widely. "And then you said, 'I want to go have lunch with Katie?'"

"That's exactly how it happened." She reached out and brushed the curly hair away from her face as she watched her for a moment. "I wanted us to have some more time to talk. We didn't really get a chance to finish talking yesterday, did we?"

The smiling, happy attitude seemed to vanish immediately. "What is it, sweetie?" A sinking feeling took over her body as she wondered with Billy might have said to her. Had he told her that she'd asked him about J.T? About the picture? Would Katie think she'd betrayed her?

"I don't think I'll get to play the game anymore," she said sadly.

"Why? Because you told me the truth. I told you that it would be okay if you told me because J.T. never said you couldn't, right?"

"It's not that." She put the French fry back down on the table as let her eyes drift back down to the table. "I was supposed to go play at the ranch last night and then Daddy took me home instead and then I have dance today. He says I can go tomorrow, but he'll probably already be mad and then he won't want to play anymore."

"I'm sure he won't be mad. He'll understand, but if you're really worried …" She waited for a moment, the wide eyes finally moving from the table to reach hers. "I could go and talk to him for you."

"But then he'll know that I told you and I don't know if …"

"I'll tell him that you told me because you didn't want him to think that you didn't want to play anymore. You wouldn't want him to think you didn't like him anymore, right?"

"No. I wouldn't want to hurt his feelings."

"Right. I know, so why don't you tell me where you normally meet him and I'll go over to your Grandpa's house today and I'll talk to him and let him know that you'll be back tomorrow?"

Katie chewed thoughtfully for a moment. "And you'll just tell him? Not Grandpa?"

"I promise." She chose every word carefully as she spoke to her, knowing how much Katie adored the man she held in such reproach. "I won't talk to your Grandpa at all."

* * *

The sight of the ranch made her stomach turn. She'd never bought in to the Newman family dynasty and, especially now, the sight of their base camp made her want to scream. The thought of them, all huddled inside there planning their attack against anyone and everyone who dared come against them was something she couldn't push from her mind as she forced herself from the car. Her dread only grew when she spotted the familiar black sports car in the driveway.

With a heavy sigh, she rang the doorbell, braced for battle.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Nick stared at her, his body blocking her entrance, his eyes full of nothing but disdain for her. "Of all the places in the world for you to be, what makes you think you should show up here."

"I was looking for you." What was one more lie? And in truth, she did need to speak to him. Billy had been a lost cause, which she should have anticipated but maybe Nick, given his impetus to protect his family would be more understanding. Maybe if she told him what Katie had said, maybe he would be more apt to believe her. "You weren't at Dark Horse and you weren't at the house, so I thought maybe you'd be here."

"There's no reason for you to be looking for me. There's no reason for us to talk at all. There's nothing that you have to say that I want to hear and I'm pretty sure that goes both ways."

She moved her body quickly to block the door before he slammed it in her face.

"Damn it, Phyllis!" His words rang out, vibrating through the vaulted ceilings. "If you think I won't shut you in this door."

"You won't," she said quickly, "Because I still have some information that you need to hear." The flash in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Information or lies?" He placed his hand on the door again. "Or with you, is there really any difference?"

"I am so sick of everyone getting on their high horse and acting like they've never told a lie in their lives. Yes, I lied just like your mother and your sister and the paragon of virtue that you call the mother of your children. We all lied. The difference is, I lied to protect them. I didn't need to be involved in this. I've got no allegiance to these women. If I wanted to bury them, I could have done it months ago, but I didn't. I kept my mouth shut, Nick. I did it because I believed that Nikki did what any mother would have done. I did it because I believe got better than he deserved. I did it because I believed that Victoria had suffered enough and I didn't want to see her have to go through anything else and yes, I kept it from you because I didn't want you to have to go through the same hell that we've all been going through the these past few months. But even given all of that, somehow I'm still your personal punching bag. I'm still the person you blame for everything bad that's happened here. I told Christine the truth because the truth was going to come out and if it had come out in another way, it might not have put in such a favorable light. I told her that J.T. was the aggressor. I told her that Victoria was trying to defend herself. I told her that Nikki was protecting her daughter. I did all of that and you're still standing there treating me like the enemy, so I'm done, Nick! I'm done. I'm done explaining myself. I'm done apologizing. I'm just done!" She turned to walk away but stopped as she heard his footsteps step back. "Let me help you," she spat as she grabbed the door from his hand and slammed it shut.

* * *

She struggled to control her breathing, her body so consumed with anger that she could barely focus as she moved towards the stables. White hot rage kept her far warmer than the coat she pulled tighter around herself. Her eyes fell on the bush, the one with the bright yellow rock, exactly as Katie had described it. She reached the branches moving them gingerly, her head shaking in disbelief as she saw the makeshift crawlspace that led into the loft of the stables.

Rational thought would have told her to the call the police, to call Nick, to call Billy, to call someone. Logic would have dictated that she do anything but crawl into that loft alone totally unprepared to meet what might await her, but she had no time for this. This was about survival. This was about taking care of herself when no one else was going to. She was on her own, as she had been so many times before. If anyone was going to prove that J.T. was alive, it was going to have to be her and it was going to have to be now.


	5. Chapter 5

Phyllis slid easily in the loft space, her eyes slowly scanning the area. Katie had been remarkably detailed for her young age. It was clear she had her father's eye for detail. J.T. didn't stay here all the time, she'd explained, but he came and waited for her here sometimes. At first she didn't understand why he would have chosen here but, as she made her way further inside, it became perfectly clear. This was a dead zone. There were no cameras here up here. Surveillance focused on the entry way to the stables and to the main house and guest cottages. No one thought to look in the dusty loft above. It was the perfect space to hide out, the perfect space for a not so dead man to wait for the perfect opportunity to plan a not so pleasant surprise.

She moved towards the far corner of the darkened area. A small throw was folded neatly and tucked away almost completely out of sight. The lump in her throat grew larger. A part of her had almost believed Katie had conjured up this entire idea, that maybe somewhere in her childish imagination, she had conjured up a friend to replace the man that had so suddenly disappeared from her life. But now, as she studied the details of the area, it was more obvious than ever, someone was clearly staying here. It was then that she saw the small white notepad and noticed the printed logo at the top. **_GC Campgrounds and Parks _**

So that was how he was staying out of view, living in among those who were primarily just passing through. No one asking too many questions, no one making too many friends. She shoved the notepad into her pocket and moved to stand as straight as she could in the lowered ceilings. Her entire body froze as she heard the noise, the same noise she'd heard as she'd crawled into the loft space herself. There was nowhere to hide, nowhere to run. Her only option was to stand there and stare him right in the face, but saying it and doing it were two completely different things. She pressed her body against the back wall as she watched him slowly enter their now shared space.

His eyes darkened as he saw her. "I was wondering when you'd show up," he said, his lips curled in a slight smile underneath the scruff of a few days of unshaven facial hair.

She wouldn't allow her voice to tremble even as everything in her filled with dread. "So you were expecting me?"

He shrugged. "I figured. I knew Katie wouldn't be able to keep quiet forever and you're pretty sharp. I mean you're the one that engineered the whole cover up and burial and all that, right?"

Instinctively, she tried to move back, feeling the wall behind her and knowing there was no where else to go. "Look, it was more complicated than that … I was … I didn't …"

"Oh I know. You didn't. I was there. I know who actually pulled the trigger, or swung the fire poker so to speak."

"And it's been you this whole time hasn't it? This whole time you've been tormenting all of us."

"Tormenting is kind of a strong word to sling at the man you tried to kill and bury in a public park, isn't it?"

"And you're some kind of innocent?! We did what we did to protect Victoria from you. You … You stole the fire poker from the storage shed and used it to torture Nikki? You set a fire in the stables and planted your bloody clothes in her bed. You've been playing this sick, twisted game with a little girl? Making her afraid to tell her parents the truth?"

"I haven't done anything to hurt Katie. I would never do anything to hurt Katie. I've just been getting some information, that's all. And she's having a good time. We've been having fun, a hell of a lot more fun than she has with either of her parents who are so damn busy with their own lives that they'd rather pass her off on a nanny than spend any actual time with her."

"That's rich coming from you. Your own son ran away from home to get away from you. He couldn't even stand to be in the house with you and now …"

"You don't get to talk about my son!" His face was inches from hers now, his voice booming, his presence far more menacing than she'd ever seen it. "I always thought you were smarter than this. You think it's a good idea to piss me off right now?"

She knew she should shut up, that she should try everything and anything she could to get out of there, to get help, but she couldn't. She couldn't let him intimidate her, the thought of allowing him that satisfaction was just too much for her to bear. "What are you gonna do, J.T.? You gonna beat me like you did, Victoria?"

"I'm not proud of that." His face was serious as he looked at her. "I never wanted to hurt her. I loved her. I love her and I was just trying to make her understand how I felt, but she couldn't. She wouldn't. As for you … No. I'm not gonna lay a hand on you. I don't need to."

"Oh." She scoffed as she glared at him. "Well, I've got bad news for you. If you think I'm going to cower and do what you tell me to, you're sadly mistaken. You had months to break Victoria down. You don't have that luxury with me."

"I don't need it," he sneered. "I have this."

Her heart sank as she felt the cool metal press into her side. The darkness made it too hard to see, but she didn't need to. She knew exactly what was happening.

"So you're gonna come with me now, right?" His hand tightened painfully around her upper arm and she grimaced in a mix of pain of dread. She had no choice. He was in control now.


	6. Chapter 6

"Get inside. Move!" He pushed her into the open door of the RV.

"I'm going," she hissed. "But this isn't gonna help anything. You're going to get caught. And this … this is just one more thing to add to your growing list of charges."

He shoved the gun harder into her side, chuckling as she hissed in pain and fell back onto the sofa bed. "You think anybody's gonna come looking for you? You're not exactly in the town's good graces right now."

"That doesn't mean no one will come." She had to say the words out loud, both in an attempt to convince him and in an attempt to convince herself. In truth, J.T. was right. She couldn't think of a soul that would come looking for her right now. Billy didn't believe her. Nick hated the sight of her. And no one else even knew that this could be an issue. Katie, she thought to herself. "Katie," she said just as suddenly as the thought had occurred to her. "Katie will eventually tell someone else about you. She'll tell the truth. She's just a little girl, J.T. She can't be expected to keep this secret for much longer."

"Unless she thinks that her telling the truth to someone made you disappear and then …"

She stared at him, his seemingly lack of limits still astounding her. "You would do that to her? You would make her feel responsible for this? She didn't do anything wrong, J.T. She just told me the truth. You can't do that. You can't do this to her." The thought of Katie being made to feel responsible for something like that made her sick inside.

"You really care about Katie, don't you?" He sat down on the table in front of her, leaning towards her to study ever inch of her face. "That's sweet. It hits me right here." His hand clutched his chest as the sickeningly sweet smile returned to his face.

"Something really has died inside of you hasn't it?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have time for a therapy session," he sighed as he stood up. "And neither do you. You are going to call and talk to Katie and tell her that you've got to go out of town for a few days and that you're not going to be able to talk to her anymore."

"I can't do that. Billy isn't gonna let me talk to her. We're not exactly on the best of terms right now."

J.T. shook his head. "You continually underestimate me. You think I don't know the schedule by now. Katie has dance class tonight. You're gonna call the dance school and ask to speak to her and I'm sure Miss Lucia will happily oblige."

"And what if she doesn't believe me? She's a smart little girl. She's perceptive. She picks up on everything and she knows when things aren't right."

"Then you just better hope you're smarter. Otherwise Katie's about to learn a very hard lesson about life."

* * *

"I've got it Monique." Nick hurried towards the door, his jaw already clenched in annoyance. Who on earth would be banging on the door at this hour? "Would you please just …" He stopped, his face growing even more angry as he saw the identity of his late night visitor. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Phyllis. I need to talk to her and before you ask, no it can't wait until tomorrow at the office. I need to talk to her now."

"First of all, it's late and I have a child that needs to be sleeping not being woke up by your late night crisis of conscience. Second of all, if you're looking for Phyllis, I'd suggest you check the club. She doesn't live here anymore."

"I already checked the club," he spat back angrily. "They told me she hadn't been there since early this morning and I figured your bed must be getting cold by now, so …."

He huffed. "As much as I would enjoy going back and forth with you tonight, it's late and I'm really not in the mood for this. I've already had it out with Phyllis today and I could do without any more."

"So you have seen her then? She's really been making the rounds today."

"What does that mean?" Nick took a step back, allowing Billy to walk inside the spacious hallway. It was still so strange to be on the same side that it often took a moment for his brain to catch up. "She have a go at you too?"

"Not today, but apparently she showed up at school today and had lunch with Katie."

"Why would she do that?" He gestured towards the living room and walked ahead of him as Billy followed. "Did she and Katie get that close?"

"I mean they got along great and everything but I think it probably has more to do with …" He paused, considering if Phyllis' words were something he should share with Nick.

"What?" It was clear to him that there was something else, something Billy was considering keeping to himself. "Don't start keeping stuff to yourself now. With everything going on, we need to share all the information. It might not seem like much, but …"

"It's not anything like that," he said quickly. "It's just that Phyllis came to me with this crazy theory that Katie told her all about the game she's been playing with that secret friend of hers."

"Phyllis? Katie told Phyllis?"

Billy shrugged as he sat down on the sofa. "Yeah," he scoffed, happy to see the disbelief reflected on Nick's face as well. "That's what she claims and it actually gets even more bizarre than that. She claims that Katie told her because she'd been instructed not to tell anyone else in the family."

Nick's face grew a bit more serious. "You don't actually think there could be any truth to that, do you?"

"Honestly, when she first started talking, I did right up until she told me that the friend was J.T."

"J.T.? Dead J.T.?"

"Yeah. She even produced a picture that Katie drew with J.T.'s name printed on it which, not for nothing, happened to have been created while Katie was alone with her in her office."

"Nothing strange about that." Nick shook his head as he sat down in the chair across from him. "So what did she say when you told her you thought it was all crap."

"She did her usual – you know, acting completely offended that I didn't take her every word as the gospel."

"Right because she's never given you any sort of reason not to believe every word she said, right?"

"That's not even the thing really. I was more annoyed by the fact that this reeks of yet another attempt by her to save herself from what she's done. You see this way, if she claims J.T. is still alive, she gets to be the hero. She goes to Christine, she tells her that Katie told her this incredible story and then Katie ends up getting interrogated by the police and child psychologists and God knows who else …"

"You're not actually gonna let that happen, are you?" Nick eyed him carefully. Phyllis was especially persuasive and he couldn't help but wonder if Billy was completely immune to her. They had been something real and those feelings, even as much as you might want them to, didn't just disappear so quickly.

"Of course not," he answered as he stood up and straightened his jacket. "That's what I was here to tell her. I want her to leave Katie out of this … whatever this manipulative scheme is, my daughter isn't going to be pawn in it."

"Well, for what it's worth, I'm behind you on that one and if there's anything I can do to help as far as Katie's concerned."

Billy nodded. "Thanks." He started the walk towards the door. "If you see her or hear from her, will you let her know that I'm looking for her, that I need to talk to her."

Nick nodded as he closed the door behind him.

* * *

Billy reached into his jacket pocket, checking his cell phone for messages before he climbed into the driver's seat of his car. She hadn't returned his call or his text. It was odd, especially given her insistence that he listen to her argument earlier. He would have expected her to jump on any opportunity to talk to him again and instead she seemed to be avoiding him entirely. He'd looked for everywhere today. She wasn't at the office. She wasn't at the club. She wasn't here. He'd checked Crimson Lights. He'd checked the Top of the Towers. He'd even checked the little burger shack they'd visited on the outskirts of town. It was like she'd vanished into thin air. He wanted to find her to yell at her, to put her on notice, to make her understand that there were limits, but deep in his heart he also knew he needed to find her so he could know for sure that she was okay.

Because if she wasn't. He wasn't sure he'd ever be okay again.


	7. Chapter 7

"Are they still awake?" He shrugged the jacket off his shoulders and hung it in the hall closet as he looked back at Hannah and waited for a reply.

"I tried," she admitted, "but Johnny was zonked. That kid must have played pretty hard at that party. I don't know that I've ever not had to argue with him about bed time." She smiled warmly at the disappointment on Billy's face. "But I'm pretty sure Katie's hanging in there. We read three books tonight and when I left she still seemed pretty alert, so if you hurry, you can probably still get your good nights in with her."

"Thanks, Hannah." Billy sighed as he moved to head up the stairs. "And thank you, for agreeing to move in here for a few days. I know it was last minute and I'm sure you probably had other things you'd rather be doing, but I really appreciate the assist. Things have been pretty crazy around here as you can imagine and …"

"It's no problem, really. I love hanging out with the kids and I know Victoria is probably worried sick about them. I like to think it will make her feel better to know I'm around so you have an extra pair of hands." She stopped herself then, realizing how her words might sound to him. "Not that you couldn't handle it on your own, but …"

"No offense taken," he smiled. "I wouldn't even want to try. They are definitely a two person job … three if you can get it. Let me get up there so I can at least see one of them tonight."

He tried to avoid the nagging feelings of guilt as he quickly climbed the stairs. He'd meant to be home nearly an hour and a half ago, but instead he'd been retracing his steps throughout Genoa City, certain that if he revisited all Phyllis' favorite spots, she'd show up in one of them by now, but she hadn't. He didn't want to let his brain go there – didn't want to begin to allow himself to wonder if something was wrong.

The soft light from Katie's lamp filtered through the cracked doorway into the hallway and, as he pushed it open ever so slightly, he saw the covers on the bed shift.

"Hannah?" her tiny voice called out from the bed.

"I'll give you one more guess," he answered, feeling his heart swell at the sight of her bright smile. "Hey sweetie. I was hoping you'd still be awake."

"I am," she nodded. "Katie already read me two stories, but if you want to read me some, you can."

"Oh really? You'll let me do that?" He grinned at her as he pulled up the small pink stool beside her bed. "We'll see about that. I want to hear about dance class first though. Did Miss Lucia let you show her how much you've been practicing your turns?"

Katie's bright smile dimmed a bit. "Uh huh," she answered, her eyes suddenly not meeting his. "She said I was one of the best in the class."

The abrupt change in mood was clear and impossible to miss. "Did something else happen in class?" Katie loved dance. It was one of the few things that she always did without any measure of friction. Katie had his stubborn streak and, if she wasn't in the mood to do something, everyone knew it … without fail. "You still like going to dance with Miss Lucia, right?"

"I do. Dance is fun. I like it."

"Okay. Well good then. You want to tell me what made you sad just now?"

"No," Katie answered honestly. Then, after looking at him quickly, she added, "You might get upset again."

"Upset? Oh you mean earlier what we talked about?"

"You were upset, weren't you?"

"Not with you sweetie and I wasn't really upset. I just think Phyllis should tell me if she's gonna come to school and visit with you because only one person can eat lunch with you and what if someone else was planning to come?"

"But we had fun Daddy and I like having lunch with Phyllis."

Billy sighed. "I know you do sweetie and I'll talk to Phyllis about it. I'll make sure she knows that you had a lot of fun, okay?" He touched her hair softly, waiting on her face to change, hoping his words had made her feel better, but the concerned, melancholy look remained. "You still look sad," he said softly. "I promise I'm not upset with you."

"I know. I'm just said because I won't get to see Phyllis anymore."

"I didn't say that, sweetheart. I just think Phyllis and I need to talk about how we plan things. That's all. We can work something out so that you can see Phyllis sometimes if you really want to. Would that make you happy?"

Katie nodded her head slowly. "Uh huh, but she said no."

Billy stopped, his hand frozen on the soft edge of the comforter. "Who said no? Phyllis?" He tried to control his expressions knowing all too well how easily Katie picked up on everything both the words you said and those you didn't. "When did you talk to Phyllis?"

She hesitated for a moment, the sigh that left her small lips exceedingly heavy and weighted for a little girl so young. "She called and talked to me tonight while I was at dance. Miss Lucia let me talk to her on the phone and she told me she was gonna have to go away for maybe a long time and she wouldn't be able to talk to me anymore."

* * *

"I gotta hand it to you, that was very good, very convincing. I have to respect someone that can lie that well. I see how you ended up as the ringleader of the little band of bitches."

"Would you please just stop it? How can you be so cold about hurting a little girl? I mean I know I've done plenty of terrible things in my life, but I've never intentionally manipulated a child this way."

"No. You've just ran over people and buried people alive. Moral high ground is all yours. Besides, Katie will be just fine. She's got the whole Newman clan to surround her and make sure she's okay."

"I still think you're underestimating her. She's a smart little girl and she's gonna know that something's wrong."

"So what if she does? You really think they're gonna believe a four year old when she tells them she's been talking to a dead man? Or better yet, you think they're gonna believe a four year old when she sticks up for you?" He loomed over her, his presence as menacing as ever. "Face it. No one cares that you're gone. No one's looking for you, so if you never come back, if anything, it'll probably be a relief."

* * *

Billy stood up, pacing the length of the small bed.

"See," Katie said softly, "I told you you'd be upset."

"I'm not upset." He sat back down, forcing his hands to settle on the side of the bed. "I'm not. I'm just confused because … what did Phyllis say to you to make you think that she was going away?"

"She told me just that. That she was going away for maybe a long time. And she said she was sorry that we couldn't talk anymore. Did you tell her she couldn't talk to me Daddy?"

"No I .. I didn't," he answered honestly. "I haven't talked to Phyllis today. I've been trying to find her, but I haven't been able to. Did she tell you where she was going or where she was when she called you?" He tried not to let the worry show through his voice.

"No, she didn't have much time to talk she said, but I could tell she was sad."

He swallowed hard, the deep pit in his stomach growing more present even as he tried to push it away. "Why do you think that?"

"Her voice cracked like Mommy's does when she reads me the story book with the sad end." Katie's eyes looked up at him, full of emotion. "I don't think she wanted to go away, Daddy."

His heart beat faster inside his chest as he listened to the innocence in her words. "Well, maybe tomorrow you can draw her a picture." He paused for a moment. "Like the one you drew for your friend, J.T.?" He needed to say no more. The look on Katie's face told him everything he needed to know. Phyllis hadn't been lying to him after all. "It's okay, you know." He tucked the covers tighter around Katie. "You don't have to worry about telling the truth and Phyllis didn't want to tell me. I kind of made her. I just need you to know that you're not in any kind of trouble okay?

Katie nodded. She seemed to consider these words for a moment before speaking. "Okay," she said quietly, "but Daddy?"

Billy leaned in closer. "Yeah sweetie?"

"Is Phyllis in trouble?"


	8. Chapter 8

"I'm sure Phyllis is just fine." It wasn't lost on him that he could be lying to his daughter but that, in the moment, seemed to be the least of his sins.

Katie was sitting up now, sleep a very distant memory. "But she sounded so sad Daddy and maybe I did get her in trouble when I told her about J.T. He said I couldn't' tell anybody, but she said that he wouldn't be mad if I told her and then she said that she would explain it to him and …"

Billy's eyes widened. "Wait a minute …" His entire body was now on edge. "Phyllis told you she was going to go see J.T.?" He cleared his throat, trying to get the words past the now continually present lump. "Katie, do you know where J.T. is?"

"He sometimes is in the upstairs in the stable by the bush with the yellow rock." Her words were plain a simple, as if she was saying the most mundane things. "But doesn't live there all the time. He lives all the places."

"All the places?"

"Uh huh. He says he can live in one place one night and somewhere completely different the next. He told me I could come on an adventure with him sometime soon if I wanted to. He even showed me the pictures of his house."

"He showed you pictures?" It was a long shot and he knew it, but he had to try.

"He did. The other day … he said he had found a nice place to say for a little while."

Billy felt his chest tighten. "Do you think you could draw it for me? It sounds like a really fun place to live."

Billy watched as Katie climbed out of bed and settled herself at the small round table in the corner of her room.

* * *

Hannah opened the door to the guest bedroom, the surprise on her face obvious. "Is everything okay? Are the kids okay?"

"Kids are fine," he answered abruptly trying to keep the edginess out of his voice. "I just … I have to head out for a bit. Something came up and I wanted to let you know. Also, I called and got some private security for the house. They're out front now, so if you see anyone out there, don't freak out. They're supposed to be there."

"You hired security?" Hannah took a step back. "Are you sure everything's okay, Billy?"

"It will be and it's nothing for you to worry about. I just didn't want you to see the cars out there and think someone was lurking around outside. Okay?" He shifted his weight nervously from foot to foot, his anxiety building the longer he had to stand and speak to her. "You're okay staying here tonight, right?"

"Yeah. Everything'll be fine."

"Great and you can take the kids to school tomorrow if I'm not home in time?"

"Of course, but Billy if …"

"Thanks, Hannah."

He was out the door before she had a chance to ask any more questions.

* * *

"Hey man." Nick's greeting was markedly different this time as he opened the door and gestured for him to step inside. "I was surprised to get your call, especially at this time of night. What's going on? Something happen with Vic?"

"Not directly." Billy stepped into the living room and looked around. "Are we alone?"

"Yeah, Monique put Christian down and then she went out with some friends, so it's just us here and of Christian but he's been out for hours."

"Good." He reached into his jacket and pulled out the folded sheet of construction paper. "You're probably gonna think I'm losing my mind and honestly, maybe I am, but I talked to Katie tonight and she told me that she'd talked to Phyllis tonight."

"You mean at school today?"

"No. After that. Apparently Phyllis called her while she was at dance class. Told her some story about how she had to go away for a while and she wouldn't be able to see her anymore. Had Katie all upset."

Nick's brow furrowed. "That doesn't make any sense. Wonder why she would do that. You think she knows that you found out about the lunch thing? Would she know you were ticked off and try to be preemptive?"

"I don't think that's it. Katie said she sounded upset and so I asked her about the picture she drew for J.T."

"Billy." Nick shook his head. "I thought we talked about that. That whole story reeks of Phyllis and her influence."

"I know. I know. I know that's what I said, but after talking with Katie, I just … I don't know anymore. She gave me all these details about what J.T. told her about his house and where he lives and how he wanted her to come with him on an adventure and then …." He held out the picture towards him. "She drew this for me. She said it was a picture of the house J.T. showed her that he lived in. She said he told her that he could live in a different place every night." He waited for Nick to study the photo. "You know what that looks like, don't you?"

"It looks like a bus to me," Nick said earnestly. "I don't …"

"It looks like an R.V. and that would be the perfect place for him to be right now. You know that. Those places don't need you to give them a whole lot of information. You come and go with a bunch of other people that come and go and he probably doesn't get asked a bunch of questions. He can blend in with everyone else that's blending in. What if it's true, Nick? What if J.T. really is alive? What if Vic, and Nikki, and Sharon are in jail for a murder that never even happened?"

"It's a nice theory, but I think there's a far more logical explanation that needs to be considered."

It was a like a punch in the gut, but that was part of why he'd come here. He needed someone that would be logical and rational, someone that would look at the situation and see the facts as they were, not as his worry and fear morphed them into being. "What?"

"I know it's not easy to think about it like this, but I've had more experience with this kind of thing than I care to admit and … I remember what Sharon went through and even what Sage went we thought we lost Christian. The mind is a really powerful and Katie, she's gone through a lot in a short period of time. J.T. was living with them. He was a big part of their lives and then one day he was gone. And then her older brother was just gone and now her mother is gone and she's trying to deal with all of that and maybe this is how she's doing it."

"I get that. I get that Katie is probably dealing with a lot of things, all the kids are, all of us are, but this didn't seem to be some sort of traumatic response. She wasn't upset. She wasn't in tears. She was calm. She was deliberate."

"And maybe this helps her stay that way. Maybe it makes her feel better to pretend that J.T. is still here, that he's still her friend, that he's still coming over and playing with her. Maybe in her mind it's very true and maybe she did tell Phyllis that. It might not have been a lie, but it doesn't make it the truth either."

* * *

Billy sat quietly for a moment as he let the words settle in the air. "But you, you still don't believe Phyllis' story do you."

"Me? I've been burned one too many times by Phyllis. I can't let her suck me in again. If you want to give her the benefit of the doubt, that's all you, but I'm done with it. I don't think Phyllis knows how to be truthful and I certainly don't think she knows how to do it for the sake of anyone other than herself."

He let the heat warm his cold hands as he sat under the cover of the filling station. He'd been driving around for hours with no idea of what he expected to find. His hands clenched tight around the picture Katie had drawn, the fluorescent lights from overhead now casting a strange, shadowy glow on the edge. His eyes narrowed as he saw the strange figure that, until now, he hadn't given much notice. It appeared to be some sort of giant or monster but, in the light, he could now discern pads that made the claws look more like paws. And suddenly, it hit him, the sign on the Genoa City Campgrounds, the giant bear by which both Katie and Johnny had posed so many times.

The car engine roared to life once more as he pressed the gas pedal to the floor and careened onto the road. There was no way this was a coincidence.


	9. Chapter 9

"Why are you staring at me like that?" She couldn't stand it, the way his eyes had barely left hers since they'd entered the cramped R.V. He was getting some sick form of pleasure out of this and she was completely helpless to stop him.

"I'm enjoying the show. It's nice to be on the winning end of things. In case you haven't noticed, it hasn't exactly been the best year for me."

"Well this isn't gonna help you. I know you think you've created this perfect, master plan and that no one is even going to notice that I've gone, but you're wrong. I'm the CEO of Jabot and no matter how many personal issue people might have with me, when I stop showing up at the office, they're gonna have questions. They're gonna want to know where I am."

"Are they?" J.T. shrugged. "Or will they just be thankful and get pretty damn comfy in that plush leather executive chair? I'm sure Jack or Billy will be happy to keep that desk warm while you're away. They've been just waiting for a chance to get back there."

"It's not that simple. It doesn't work like that. I've got responsibilities. I've got meetings and plans and people that depend on me. I've got children."

"Children." He huffed as scooted closer to her, his proximity clearly meant to intimidate her. "You know I have children too. Did you think at all about my children when you and your little sisterhood did what you did?"

"You weren't thinking much about your children when you drove us to it, were you? We would have never done what we did if you weren't trying to hurt Victoria."

"What happened between me and Victoria was between us. You all should have stayed the hell out of it. What happens between a man and a woman should stay between a man and a woman. That was always the problem with us. She could never keep her damn family out of our business and it was getting even worse … she was bringing in her friends and even her enemies."

"You're never going to get me to say that she deserved that and you're never going to get me to agree that you were some aggrieved party here."

"You sure about that?" He took another step towards her, his hands reaching down to the floor and grabbing a blanket. "Let's test that theory."

* * *

Billy jerked the wheel hard pulling into a small marked parking space on the grassy area that had been partitioned off. He had no idea where to begin looking. The rows of R.V.s seemed to overwhelm him and he glanced back down at the picture, desperately searching for any sort of clue that might help him weed out some of the contenders. Katie was detailed, but there was no way of knowing if her details were based upon memory or simply her artistic flair. She'd drawn the R.V. with an awning and a brown and tan stripe.

It was all he had to go on as he ran up and down the aisles, silently praying he'd find her before something happened he'd never be able to forgive himself for.

* * *

"What are you doing?" She couldn't hide the panic in her voice as she felt the blanket being wrapped tight around her. "J.T., J.T., What are you doing?!"

"Let's just call it an experiment," he snapped as he wrapped the blanket around her body several times and pulled it as tight as possible. "So let's see …. If I remember correctly, you all wrapped me up in a rug. Unfortunately …" He paused, jerking the blanket still tighter and ensuring her face was completely covered, "I haven't been able to properly decorate the space, so this will have to do. It was dark and I couldn't see anything. I could barely breathe. How about you? How does it feel? Huh?"

She could feel her entire body being crushed, the pressure of his hands, the intensity of his anger all present in his voice and in the way in which he pulled the blanket tighter and tighter around her. "It's not good. I can't … J.T., Please … just stop. I …."

"Oh, that's not all. It doesn't stop there."

She felt her body being lifted and suddenly her feet were off the ground.

"I'll spare you the trunk," he snapped, "but only because I don't have one handy. Instead, I'll just toss you over here."

She felt herself hurling through the air, her body falling hard onto the none too forgiving sofa bed. Her body fought against the restraint of the blanket, her hands and feet grasping to escape. Finally she found the edge and managed to free herself, gasping for air as she pulled her face from the confines.

"Alright," she gasped. "You made your point. You went through a lot. It wasn't right what we did. Okay? It wasn't right."

"You think that's all of it?" He was almost manic now as he knelt over her. "You have any idea what it feels like to be buried alive. To realize there's no air, to open your eyes and see only blackness, to not be able to breathe, not be able to move, not be able to fight against the weight no matter how hard you try … no matter how much you want it?"

"I don't … I don't …"

His hands pressed against her throat, cutting off her air. He didn't care. He needed her to understand, to experience that fear, that dread, that pain. He needed her to feel helpless.

She felt the pain of the pressure, the terror of knowing he was far too strong to fight and then the pain seemed to fade. The dark edges seemed to grow ever closer and she could feel her body begin to relax. He pressed harder, his words still angry and vengeful as he squeezed her neck in his hands. Her eyes wanted to close, her body desperate to give in.

"Get the hell off of her!"

She gasped, a desperate, throaty breath. For a moment she was afraid she'd died and that this was a product of an afterlife of some sort but as her head cleared and she forced her body up, she could see him even through blurry eyes. He was here. He had found her.

"Phyllis!" Billy screamed at her as he stood there, with J.T. now upright pointing the gun at both of them as he looked back and forth between them. "Are you okay? Are you alright?"

Her throat still swollen, the act of speaking almost impossible, but she fought hard to say the only words that mattered. "He's alive, Billy. He's alive."

"I see that." Billy looked at her for a moment, the look softer than she'd seen in months. "He's alive … for now." He turned his attention back to J.T. "Bet you didn't count of my showing up here."

"On the contrary. I'm actually a little surprised it took you this long. Men like you can't resist playing the white knight and I knew you'd get there eventually … the simple always do."

The audacity of his words sat a fire within him, one only matched by the rage he felt when he saw his hands on Phyllis. "You're a bastard," Billy snarled. "Everyone in that town thinks you're already dead and it would be a damn shame to disappoint them." The gun was barely a deterrent anymore. He'd gladly fight anything for the chance to take him down for what he'd done to Victoria, to Katie, and especially to Phyllis.

"Billy, don't …" Her voice was hoarse but still insistent. "He'll kill you," she pleaded.

"Nah, I won't." J.T. moved towards her, grabbing her roughly and pulling her closer to him. He placed the barrel of the gun next to her head. "You take one more step and I'll kill her."


	10. Chapter 10

"Alright. Alright." He hated conceding to him, but the sight of the gun to Phyllis' head was something he hated far more. "You don't need to do that. I'm good." He took a step back and raised his hands in a show of submission. "Just don't hurt her. Come on, J.T. Don't hurt her."

He wanted to feel more confident in the man in front of him, in his true nature, but it was that true nature that terrified him. J.T. Hellstrom was someone he knew far too well. He'd seen the dark side of him. He knew what he was capable of. He'd known and experienced it long before Victoria or anyone else ever had. If it had been up to him, he wouldn't be standing here right now. J.T. had left him for dead years ago after a drunken party. This behavior, the disregard for other people's safety and well being wasn't new.

"What?" J.T. glared at him. "You want me to take it easy on her? Like she took it easy on me? How much of this sordid little story do you know?" He turned to Phyllis, the fear in her eyes making him smile. "Have you told your white knight here about your little plot to snuff me out?"

"I know they did what they had to do protect each other … from you."

"For all intents and purposes, they killed me, so really – this would be justice, wouldn't it? Isn't that what it says in the good book? An eye for an eye?" He jerked her towards him again, pressing the gun hard against her side. "What do you think? You're being pretty quiet. That's not your style."

Phyllis gasped, the sudden movement frightening her. His moods were so volatile that she had no idea how to respond, no clue what might set him off further. "I …."

"J.T. … Come on … Come on … Just talk to me, okay?" Billy's words were frantic now, the need to command his attention at the forefront of his mind. Phyllis was tough as nails in most situations, but he could clearly see she was near breaking. The pain and fear were all right there, reflected as plainly as he'd ever seen them in her eyes.

"I don't want to talk." His words were suddenly calmer. His hand moved quickly to the dark duffel bag that sat on the floor. "Here," he growled as he tossed it over to Billy. "Get the rope and tie her up."

Billy hesitated. "You don't need to do that. She'll …"

"I can keep her still another way if you'd prefer." He held the gun up, making his point without needing to use any further words.

Billy nodded, quickly reaching into the bag and grabbing the rope. His hands touched her gently, the close contact finally allowing him to see the marks on her, the extent of what she'd been going through. "It's okay," he whispered, the irony of his words making him sick inside.

"And make it tight." The words echoed through the R.V. "If it's not done right, I'll do it myself and it'll be a hell of a lot worse for her."

"It's good." He couldn't hide the venom in his voice. He hated him for what he'd done, for what he was doing, but mainly because he was in charge and nothing could be done to stop him. "It's gonna be okay," he whispered to her again, his eyes meeting hers before he stood up straight. "I promise. It's gonna be okay."

Her eyes screamed at him, but her lips said nothing. "Alright," he said as he turned back towards him, the gun still firmly pointed at them both. "It's done. Now what?" He watched and held his breath as J.T. jerked the knotted rope.

"Good. Now we find somewhere a little more private."

* * *

"I don't think I can go any further. This thing isn't meant for off road."

"You'll go as far as I tell you to go."

He could see the gun clearly pointed at her as he looked in the rearview mirror. "Just … I'm telling you, J.T., it's not gonna make it."

"Fine." His hand slammed down on the dashboard as he leaned closer to look out of the windshield. "This is probably good enough. Just stop here." He waited the sound of the motor to die, listening intently for the sound of silence. "Yeah," he agreed, "this is good … this is good enough. Now get up. Move."

Billy didn't argue, much as he would have liked to. Each time he'd watched the gun being shoved and pointed at her, his ego had taken a hit. He'd wanted more than anything in the world to protect her and now, it was becoming abundantly clear that he couldn't.

"Sit behind her," J.T. commanded as he reached for another rope. "I know how much you two want to be together. Never let it be said that I'm not a romantic at heart." He leaned down and wrapped his wrists, binding them together and stepping back finally to check his work.

"So what's the plan here? You gonna leave us here to die? Take another shot at it? Didn't exactly work out for you the first time did it?"

J.T. huffed. "Life would have been a lot different for me if I'd been able to get rid of you back then. Damn Raul and his moral standards. But actually no – that's not what I'm planning. That wouldn't be nearly vindicating enough. I've got a lot more planned for the two of you, but you've got to be alive for me to do that. Right now, I've got to go take care of something."

"Like what?"

"You'll find out." J.T. smiled as he took in the sight of them sitting there, completely at his mercy. "Just make yourself comfortable. Mi casa es su casa."

"J.T.! J.T.! Wait! Don't!" The door slammed. The shaking of the vehicle was followed almost immediately by the feeling of her trembling body behind him.

"Hey," he whispered. He couldn't hold her, their backs pressed tight together. Billy pulled at the constraints finally able to wrap his hand around hers. "It's okay. Take a deep breath." He could feel her shaky breathing, the shallow, uneven gasps a clear indication of an oncoming onslaught of panic. "Try to calm down."

"What if he doesn't come back," she sobbed. "What if he just leaves us here and he never comes back. No one knows we're here. No one is coming. We'll die here, Billy."

"No. No one is dying here. We're gonna get out of this. I promise you."

"How?" She sounded so defeated, so unlike the powerful, stubborn, fiery woman he'd known.

"The knot," he said firmly, still holding her hands in his and squeezing them as tightly as he could. "The knot I tied. I can tell you how to get out of it."

"What?" For the first time, she felt a flicker of hope, the feeling was so foreign that she pushed it away. "It's too tight," she argued. "There's no way."

"Yes there is," he continued. "Trust me. I know what I'm doing. J.T. spent his formative years in prep school. I grew up in boarding schools with tons of boys with lots of time on their hands. I learned all about stuff like this. We had to keep ourselves entertained. It was like our own little private magic show. Just trust me, okay?" He paused, remembering everything he'd done to her and recognizing the fact that she had no reason to trust him at all. "I know that's probably easier said than done, but right now, I need you to trust me, okay? I'll get us out of this. I promise. Just do what I say and I'll get us both back home."


	11. Chapter 11

"Okay, now just pull your hand through the loop and …" He waited, hoping he'd been able to recite the steps correctly from memory. Without being able to see her hands, and with the added difficultly of facing the opposite direction, there was always the possibility of making a mistake.

"I think it …" Her voice was hesitant, but hopeful, "Oh God it did. It worked Billy. My hands are free." She sighed in total relief.

"That's good." He closed his eyes in gratitude and let his head fall back against her for a moment. "Okay. Can you get untie the knot at your feet?"

"Working on it," she said quickly. Within moments, he could feel her hands on his, her cold fingers working busily on his own restraints. He could feel her trembling, the panic still very real for both of them. This was far from over.

"Just relax," he whispered. "It's gonna be alright now. We're gonna be okay. We're getting out of here." One hand was free and he moved immediately to grab one of the knots at his own feet. As his second hand was removed he quickly finished the job and threw the rope to the side. There was no hesitation in his next move and without thinking or considering anything else, he reached for her.

She nearly collapsed into his arms, the tears flowing freely.

"I know." There weren't words for this. There was no way to express how grateful he was to hold her, to know that she was, at least in that moment, safe in his arms. "We have to go now, okay? We can't stay here. We have to get back to the car. We have to get back to town."

She nodded. "How? We don't even know where we are now. He had you drive into the middle of nowhere."

"We'll figure it out." He took her hands in his and looked into her eyes. She had to believe in this. When Phyllis believed in something, nothing stopped her. If she didn't – if she viewed this as an impossibility, he wasn't sure they would be able to accomplish it. "I need you to trust me. I need you to believe in me. You're the strongest woman I know and if you put your mind to this, I know we can do it."

He saw the shift, an almost physical change. "Okay, I believe you. You found me when I wasn't sure anyone would even care enough to look. If you say we can get out of this, I believe you."

* * *

"I've got you." He stood behind her, pushing her up onto the hill's flattened ledge. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm alright."

He stepped up himself, looking out into the darkness. Their heavy breath produced clouds in the night air, a sure sign of the sudden drop in the evening's temperature. He reached up and pulled the jacket from his shoulders. "Here," he said softly as he wrapped it around her shoulders. "You need to stay warm."

"Thanks." She looked up at him. "Do you have any idea where we are?"

"We just have to keep moving towards the lights," he said simply. "Either we're heading towards the campgrounds or the road and neither one of them is a bad thing." The concern in her voice was evident. "I know you're worried," he added, "but I promised you that I'd get us out of this and I will. We just have to keep moving." He held out his hand to her and felt the familiar heat course through him as she took it. They had to keep going. There was too much at stake.

* * *

The tears this time weren't of pain or of fear. This time they were tears of utter relief and joy. "Is that?" She smiled, as she looked over at him. His hand tightened around hers and she knew the answer even before she heard his response.

"Thank God," he breathed. "Yeah. That's it. That's the car." He reached for the handle of the passenger side door, pulling it open for her and waiting for her to climb inside. "Get in." There was still an urgency in his movements as he jogged over to the driver's side and reached inside his pocket for the keys before climbing in.

"We're really gonna be okay?" Her voice quivered as she said the words, the hopeful tone still slightly hesitant.

"Yeah." His hand reached for hers again as he moved to place the key in the ignition. "We are. It's okay now. It's over. It's really over." He couldn't but smile as he saw her shoulders rise and fall with a sigh he knew signified relief. It was impossible for him to even try and fathom what she'd endured over the last day or so and right now, the fact that he didn't know was keeping him sane.

The sound he waited for, the roar of the engine wasn't filling the sound of the silent night and he turned the key again, still hearing the strange clicking that echoed again and again.

"What's wrong?" He could hear it immediately, the fear and doubt creeping into her words again.

"I don't know," he admitted. "Maybe it's the battery. I'll check it out, okay." He turned to her, his face serious. "You stay here."

She didn't argue as he climbed from the car. The hood quickly popped opened and she listened as the foreign sounds echoed from underneath. She let her head fall back against the headrest, her eyes fluttered closed. "Please God," she whispered, "If you're still taking requests from someone like me, please let it work." The noises stilled and she waited.

Nothing.

Her fingertips slowly moved towards the button, the automatic windows, moving in what seemed like slow motion. "Billy?" She could feel the familiar lump in her throat. Somehow she knew – not exactly what was happening of course, but she knew instinctively that it was awful. "Billy? What's wrong …"

The slow motion continued in excruciating detail as she watched the hood lower. Billy and J.T. stood there, their arms raised high above their heads, both of them fighting with all their might for control of the gun. She heard a scream and then realized it was her own.

"Please! Please stop! Billy! Billy!"

And then it did stop but not before the firing of a single shot.


	12. Chapter 12

"No!" Billy screamed as he saw the car door open. "Get back in the car, Phyllis! Stay in the car!"

"Are you …" She watched as he moved towards the driver's side of the car, her eyes now following his hands which clenched the gun. "Billy?" She didn't trust herself to process the images, her thoughts a mangled frenzy of fear and panic. "Did you? Did he?"

"I'm fine," he assured her. "I'm okay. He's hit … somewhere. The leg, I think. He took off towards the woods. I'm going after him. He can't get far. I'll …"

"No!" She latched onto him, his presence her only connection to safety and sanity. "No, Billy. Please don't. Please don't go. Don't leave me here. Please."

It was so unlike the person he knew. Phyllis never begged. She hated it, hated the idea of being vulnerable, hated even the concept of needing someone. For her to ask – and even more, for her to plead, he was helpless to do anything but everything she asked. "I won't," he whispered softly, "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I won't. We've got to call the police now. They've got to get out here."

"But you'll stay? You'll stay here?" Her pride was irrelevant. She needed him now.

* * *

"I'm fine, honestly. I don't need to go in." She sighed in frustration as she sat on the edge of the small stretcher.

"Everything okay?" Billy stepped over slowly, the sound of her voice carrying through the open space. He looked over towards the EMT who shook his head slightly.

"I was just telling Ms. Summers that we should get her to Memorial so that a doctor can check her out, but she's refusing treatment and …"

"Phyllis …" He stopped himself, glancing back at the young man first. "If you could just give us a minute." He waited until he'd stepped away before letting his body lean back against the stretcher, his arm barely brushing against hers. "You do need to go and get checked out, you know? If for no other reason than for documentation. We want everything we can get on J.T., right? We want to make sure that when the police get him and bring him in, we can nail his sorry ass to the wall for everything he's done."

"I just …" She tried not to let her voice crack as she spoke. She'd cried enough tears today. "I really just want to go home, Billy. I don't want to go to a hospital. I don't want to answer ten thousand questions about what he did and how it happened. I just want to go home."

He could feel her begin to tremble again and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her a bit closer to him. "I know," he whispered. "I know you've been through a hell of a lot tonight and I know how much you hate having people fussing over you, but maybe just tonight, you do this, okay?" He waited for a moment. "For me?" The request would have made complete sense a few months ago, but things were different now and he wasn't sure how much weight his desires held. Sitting beside her now, her silence spoke volumes.

"Okay." She finally answered. "I'll go."

His hand founds her and their fingers gently intertwined. Lifting his free hand, he gestured to the EMT.

Billy watched silently as she leaned back onto the stretcher and allowed herself to be lifted into the ambulance.

"You can follow behind," the man said sternly.

"I'm riding with her."

"Only family are allowed in the ambulance with …"

Billy stopped him mid sentence. "Then I'm family. I'm whatever you need me to be, but I'm riding with her." He squared his shoulders fully prepared for whatever battled awaited him. He'd wanted to bash someone's face in tonight. This poor fool was as good as any.

"Whatever," he sighed and stepped aside.

* * *

"I got you a cup," Nick said as he held the cup of coffee out towards Billy. "You look like you could use something."

"No thanks." Billy waved him off. "I can't. Not til I know she's okay." He continued his pacing up and down the waiting room corridor. "I just don't know what's taking so long. They said it was just a routine exam, right? That shouldn't take this long."

"I'm sure they just want to be thorough." Nick studied him for a moment. "Why don't you sit down. You're gonna wear a rut in the floor."

"Sorry," Billy snapped, "Am I bothering you?" He heard the annoyed sigh. "Look, I know you have your opinions of how and why Phyllis ended up here, but …"

"I didn't say she deserved any of this, so don't try and put those words in my mouth," Nick countered. "I just said that we don't exactly know how all of this came to be, so before we start painting Phyllis as the helpless victim in all this, we might want to get the whole story. Trust me when I say, I've got some experience with getting bit in the ass by expecting the best from here and getting a solid dose of her worst."

"You didn't see her, Nick. You didn't walk in and see how terrified she was. This wasn't game and she certainly wasn't setting anything up, so if that's what you're implying …"

"I'm not. I'm not implying that. I'm just saying that Phyllis is Phyllis and I don't take anything with her at face value."

"I'm not saying she's perfect, Nick. But I don't understand how you can find fault with what she did here tonight. She tried to tell me about what was going on, about what Katie told her, about the fact that J.T. was alive and I didn't believe her. I brushed it off as Phyllis trying to cover her own ass and, because of that, she ended up trying to prove it to me the only way she knew how."

"She didn't go to the cops, Billy. She didn't come to me. She only came to you."

"Come on, Nick. You know as well as I do, the cops wouldn't have given her the time of day. Rey would have called it a hail mary pass to save face for flipping on the women and Christine would hit the roof and probably would have even tried to renege on her immunity deal. And as for coming to you, I know how well that went for me, so I can't fault her for not wanting to experience that first hand."

"So that's it, huh? You're determined to make her a martyr in this one? You're gonna take all the blame and make her a Pollyanna who was just trying to make everything all right?"

"Do you even hear yourself?" Billy glared at him, his complete and total disregard for Phyllis suddenly striking him as disgusting. "I know you have your issues with what she did, but she put her life on the line to try and make things right. I saw her. I saw what he was doing to her. I saw how terrified she was and nothing she did, nothing she's done, nothing she will ever do makes that okay with me." The sound of the door opening in the distance stopped his tirade and he immediately shifted his attention to the approaching doctor.

"Mr. Abbott?"

"Yes, I'm Billy Abbott. How is she?"

The doctor waited as two officers approached as well, eager to hear the report.

"Physically she seems to have faired remarkably well. A hairline fracture to the collarbone and some bruising, but nothing more significant than that." He paused as he saw the relief pass over Billy's face. "Emotionally," he countered, "Things like this have a way of taking their own kind of toil on a person and I'd caution you to be aware that there may be some issues that need to be dealt with in that realm for some time to come."

Billy nodded. "I understand. Thank you. Thanks so much." He smiled at the doctor as he moved to walk away. His eyes now moved to the officers who headed straight for the closed door of the hospital. "Wait a minute," he said quickly. "What are you doing?"

"We need to ask Ms. Summers some questions," the officer replied. "We'll need to speak to you as well of course, but we'd like to get her version of events first."

"Do you really have to do that tonight? I'd like to take her home and let her rest. I could bring to the station tomorrow."

"Mr. Abbott it's really very important that we get the account of the events while everything is still fresh in …"

"Please." He saw Rey in the distance. "I'll be more than happy to talk to the detective as well if I need to. She's been through a lot tonight and I just … I'd like to make it as easy on her as possible."

"What seems to be the problem?" Rey face was stern as he eyed Billy warily. "The officers are here to do a job, Mr. Abbott. You're not making it difficult for them to do that, are you?"

"I was hoping we could wait until tomorrow to answer the questions especially since I'd hope you'd want everyone in your police force on the ground looking for J.T. so he doesn't … you know … try to kill anybody else." It was a risk – throwing a dig at the detective, but his patience was far too thin for tact. All he wanted was to make things easier for Phyllis and he'd endure anything to make that happen.

Rey's eyes narrowed. "Alright," he murmured. "Tomorrow morning. First thing. And by first thing. I mean first thing. Not after breakfast, not after a nice conversation about what you're gonna say and how it's gonna go. First thing. I want both of you at the station. You got it?"

"Loud and clear." He kept his entire body rigid as he watched Rey wave the officers towards the door. Forcing the air into his lungs, he stood just outside the room. His demeanor shifted as he peered in through the glass, the sight of her laying in the hospital bed hurtling him to an entirely different place. She seemed so small and frail, so unlike what he was accustomed to.

"Hey," he whispered as he stepped inside and watched as her eyes opened quickly to meet him.

"Hi."

Her voice was still distant, almost traumatized, like the sound of someone who wasn't sure if it was safe yet to speak.

"I wasn't sure if you were still here."

"I told you I would be," he answered, taking a seat by the bed. "I just talked to the doctor. He said you were okay and that they didn't need to keep you." He hesitated a moment.

"What?" she said, picking up on the tone and pause in his words. "What's wrong? What else did he say?"

"No. It's nothing like that. The police were outside and they were gonna come in and ask you all these questions, but …"

"Yeah."

Her face immediately changed, the ever so subtle calming effect he liked to think he had on her vanishing.

"I figured they'd be here," she sighed. "I guess I should get ready for it."

"Not tonight." He touched her hand gently. "I told them that I'd bring you to the station tomorrow morning. Tonight I'm gonna take you home."


	13. Chapter 13

She was exhausted, but her body couldn't relax. She was still on edge, every nerve in her body was alert, the threat as real as it had ever been.

Somehow he seemed to sense it and his eyes drifted to look at her as the car slowed to a stop at the light. "You okay?" he said softly. "I mean, I know you're not okay. You can't possibly be okay. I'm sorry. That was a stupid question."

"It wasn't." She shook her head. The relief she'd felt upon first seeing his face rushed back over her. There had been a moment, several of them actually, when she'd considered the possibility that J.T. might have been right. Maybe no one would come for her. Maybe no one would care or worse, maybe they'd be relieved. But he had come. He'd showed up for her, just as he always had in the past. "I'm trying," she whispered. "I know they're looking for him and I know that with everyone out there, there's no way he can keep running, but …"

"But if he survived being buried alive …"

"Yeah," she answered quietly, thankful he didn't begrudge her the anxiety. She still felt the familiar pressure in her chest as the light changed to green and the car began to accelerate again. "Wait a minute," she hesitated. "I thought you were taking me home?"

"What? To the club? No way. Not tonight. Not with everything that's happened. Not with J.T. still being on the loose." He couldn't fathom it. The fear that nearly overwhelmed him when he'd realized she was in danger was still fresh in his mind. He could still feel the lump in his throat, the waves of absolute fury and simultaneous desperation still felt as visceral to him now as they had as he'd searched the rows of seemingly endless rvs.

And now, having her here, safe with him, there was no way he could leave it up to chance again. "You can stay at the house with me."

"You mean at Victoria's house?" She eyed him cautiously. "Are you sure she'd be okay with that?"

"Considering everything you went through tonight and the fact that it all happened because you were trying to prove that J.T. was still alive, I think she'd be fine with it. And honestly, I wouldn't be fine if you weren't there. J.T. is out there somewhere and I want to know that you're safe. I want to know that you're okay. Besides, I've got a lot of extra security there. You'll be safe. There are guards at every door. J.T. would be a fool to try and come back there."

* * *

She perched on the edge on the couch. It was impossible to relax, both because of the events of the evening and because of the current location. She tried to imagine Victoria's reaction, anticipating her indignant rage which was miles away from the acceptance and understanding Billy had posited.

"Here."

Her entire body lurched forward, jumping at his simple touch. She looked at him, the expression akin to a hunted animal.

"I'm sorry," he said gently. He winced at the look on her face, the knowledge that she'd been brought to this place of sheer terror made him sick and angry and everything inbetween. "I thought you might want to change." He handed her the soft button down flannel. "It's not your favorite silks, but it'll be more comfortable than sleeping in your clothes, I'm sure." He tried to smile and break the tense mood as she reached for the shirt.

Phyllis was accustomed to being able to rise above everything and anything. She was a force, one who never wallowed in anything for long. Being vulnerable made her furious. Being weak made her feel sick inside, but tonight, the fight for her independence, for her pride – it was glaringly absent. She'd given in, to the trauma, to the terror, to the entire experience.

The soft, slightly shaky voice sounded almost foreign as she thanked him. "I'm gonna go change, if that's okay."

"Sure." He watched her sadly as she disappeared from the room.

* * *

"And you're sure you'd rather sleep down here?"

"Yeah." She let her eyes drift to the door again even after promising herself that she wouldn't. "I just … I'd rather be close to the door so that if anything were to happen …"

"Nothing's gonna happen, okay? You hear me? I promise you. J.T. isn't stupid. He's not coming here."

"Right. You're right." Even as she said the words, she tried to force herself to believe it. She reached down to fluff the pillows again.

"You need anything? Another blanket?" He stood close to the sofa and watched her nervous, almost frenzied motions. She was anything but okay. He knew she was safe, as safe as she could be anywhere. He'd rather die than let J.T. touch her again, but he was afraid she didn't believe in her own safety anymore no matter what happened.

"No," she answered. "I'm okay. I should probably just try to get some rest. I'm sure the police aren't gonna give me an easy time of it tomorrow." She shrugged and tried to manage a weak smile.

She wanted to be alone and, in a sense, he was somehow comforted by that. It meant she still had some sense of pride, some feeling of keeping up, at least the appearance of, strength. J.T. hadn't been able to break her completely. "I'm gonna be right there with you tomorrow, okay? The police are going to understand what happened. We'll make sure of it. Everything is going to be okay."

She flashed a sweet smile at him as she leaned back against the pillows.

"Okay." He touched her arm gently before heading towards the stairs and pausing at the light switch. As he turned off the light, he watched her slowly sink further down. "If you need anything," he called out.

"Goodnight, Billy."

"Night." He slowly sighed as he climbed the rest of the steps.

* * *

He'd barely even made it into the bedroom after peeking in on the kids and shucking his socks and shoes. Rey's warning words had echoed through his head then and he'd reached into his pocket for his phone, only to find nothing. In his mind, he could still see it – sitting on the small desk downstairs. "Damn," he hissed as he headed back into the hallway and towards the stairs.

His footsteps were as soft as possible as he touched the wooden banister. The sight of soft light made him stop suddenly, before he continued down the stairs as quietly as he could muster. She sat there, her legs pulled up her chest, the light from the table lamp filling the room.

The sounds he heard were her sobs, but he felt them every bit as deeply. She stopped as soon as soon as she saw him.

"I …" Her mouth opened still, ready to apologize or explain or something that he had no interest in hearing.

"No." He sat down, placing his arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer to him. "It's okay," he whispered.

"I'm sorry. I know you said it was …"

"Shhh …" He pulled her tighter still, reaching down and pulling the blanket up over her legs. "You don't need to explain and you certainly don't need to apologize." He felt her relax a little, her head finally falling against his chest. "You just rest okay. I'll be right here. Nothing's gonna happen to you."

For the first time all night, he felt her body release, the tension and fear dissipating a bit, the woman he'd held so many times before finally feeling more familiar. Maybe tonight, this was what they both needed.


	14. Chapter 14

He needed sleep too, but he couldn't close his eyes. As much as he projected his confidence that J.T. wouldn't come back here – that he'd have to be stupid to do so, he had to wonder just how closely connected stupid and crazy were. He watched her closely, her body finally relaxed, her face no longer filled with anxiety and fear. As long as he could keep her just like that – safe in his arms, he didn't have to think about what she'd been through, what J.T. had done to her, how he'd allowed it all to be put into motion.

She never would have struck out on her own if it hadn't been for him. If he had only listened, if he had only believed her, if only …

"No."

The sound from her was startling, the quiet calm now broken. He waited a moment, hoping it was a passing blip.

"I don't. Please. No. Don't." Her breathing was harder now, her face taking on that horrible expression of panic again. Her body grew rigid, her shoulders tightening within his gentle embrace.

"Phyllis." He tried quietly whispering her name – hoping to gently bring her back to the present, but there was no impact. Her voice only grew louder, her breath now coming in short, shallow spurts.

"I can't. I can't." She clutched at her chest and throat, clawing at something that wasn't there.

"Phyllis." His voice was more insistent now as he reached for her, his hands finally touching her. "It's okay. You're dreaming. It's me. It's Billy. You're safe."

In that instant, her eyes flew open, her entire face filled with fear. She fought for breath, for composure, for her logical mind to overcome her panic. "Billy." Her mouth was impossibly dry though her face and neck were drenched with sweat.

"It's okay," he whispered again. The magnitude of everything she'd been through was now crashing into him. Even during her worst moments in the Marco mess, he'd seen her angry. He'd seen her hurt, but this – the broken, totally terrified Phyllis, this was something new. "You're okay," he said again. "I'm here. I'm right here and nothing's gonna happen to you."

* * *

He could see the relief on her face when he walked back into the room, even though he'd only been gone for a few moments. "It's chamomile, I think," he told her as he handed her the mug and wrapped his hands around her trembling grip. "Vic has the tea in a canister, so I'm not totally sure."

She took a slow sip. "It's good. Thank you." The feel of the cool rag against the nape of her neck came as a bit of a shock and she jumped slightly before realizing his touch.

"Sorry." He smiled warmly at her as he slowly moved the rag around her warm skin. His hands stopped suddenly as he ran the cool rag across her neck. The sight of the bruises shouldn't have been shocking, but somehow it still was. It was easier to believe that he hadn't touched her in that way.

"J.T." He finally managed to speak, "He did that to you?"

"It's fine." She pulled back and pulled the collar of the shirt together again. "It's okay. I'm okay."

"It's not okay." He was disgusted with J.T., with himself, with the entire situation. After everything she'd been through, she was still going to be questioned tomorrow, as if she were guilty, as if she'd done something wrong. "This is not okay," he repeated.

"It will be," she said.

"If I'd just listened to you, Phyllis. My God, if I hadn't been so stupid and stubborn. If I hadn't been so determined to make everything about me instead of seeing that you were trying to protect everyone. If I'd given you a chance, then you would have never been in that place with him. He would have never had a chance to put his hands on you. He would have never …"

"If you hadn't come looking for me when you did, I wouldn't be here now, so you saved me too, Billy."

"You wouldn't have even needed saving if …"

"It's okay to need saving sometimes," she said softly, "as long as there's someone around to do the job."

"You'll always have …"

The pounding on the door seemed to shake the room and Billy jumped to his feet. The look of panic covered her immediately. "It's okay," he said quickly. "You stay right there. I'll handle it."

"Mr. Abbott," the familiar voice called out.

Billy sighed heavily and glared as he jerked the door open. "You ever think of calling someone given the situation." He cut his eyes back towards the sofa. "We're a little on edge here."

"Well, you don't need to be – not anymore. We're apprehended J.T. Helstrom and he's currently being held at the GCPD. I wanted to come by in person and let both of you know and as soon as the two of you can get to the station to answer some questions, I'd appreciate it."

"So you've got him?" Her voice trembled a bit as she stood behind him. "And you're sure it's him?"

"It's him," Rey replied. "But if you want to see with your own eyes, you could always come with me now down to the station."

Billy held up his hand to stop him. "She'll be coming down with me in a couple of hours after we've had a chance to shower and change and settle down a bit. I'm sure you can understand that."

Rey huffed. "Don't get too settled," he sneered.

"What do you think he meant by that?" Phyllis whispered, her voice cracking as the sound of the door slammed and shook the window pane.

"It doesn't matter what he meant." Billy turned back towards her, hating the anxiety that now seemed to own her again. "You don't need to worry about anything that idiot has to say. No matter what happens, you know the truth. You know what really happened and so do I and that's all that matters."


	15. Chapter 15

She swallowed hard, the busy sounds of the bullpen suddenly seeming almost overwhelming. He was here. She could sense it – the ominous, foreboding presence. Feeling so vulnerable, so hunted wasn't something to which she was accustomed as she hated it as much as she was broken by it. Billy's hand touched her gently.

"You okay?" he whispered as he took a seat next to her and held out the small white paper cup of water. "I just spoke to Rey. They're getting everything set up and they'll be ready for you in just a minute."

She took the cup from his hands and nodded. "Yeah," she managed, though it was a complete lie and the look on his face as he narrowed his eyes told her he suspected as much.

"You know I'll be right next to you, right? You're not gonna have to go through it alone. I'll be right there."

"Actually …" It was Christine's voice that rang out through the room as she emerged from the office walking quickly ahead of Rey. "You're going to questioned separately. We need to make sure that we're getting unbiased reports here and …"

Billy stood up. "I don't see why that matters now. You know J.T.'s alive. What more do you need to know about this, honestly? How much more do you honestly need to torture people before you just take a seat and shut the hell up?"

"Billy." Phyllis's shaky voice stopped him and he looked back towards her, surprised to hear her speak.

"It's alright," she nodded. "It's fine. I'll talk to her. I'll tell whatever she wants to know. It'll be fine." She watched his eyes study her for a moment and she nodded again and forced the best smile she could to reassure him of her ability to keep her composure. "You'll be here when I'm done, right?"

He reached for her hand again, squeezing it supportively. "Of course I will. I'll be waiting for you, okay?"

Her eyes moved back to Christine as she let her hand fall from his grip and slowly entered the office with her.

Billy turned back to stare at Rey. "Was that really necessary?"

Rey sighed, looking for the first time to be almost sympathetic. "It's policy. She's big on policy. Why don't we go ahead and go through this quickly and you can both get out of here, alright?"

* * *

Billy leaned back in the chair, his eyes fixated on the black and white clock on the wall. What was once a soft, soothing ticking sound now became a menacing, maddening sound that served as a constant reminder of just how much time had passed.

"Rey!" Billy jumped from the chair as he saw the detective walk by. "What's taking them so long? You and I were finished almost an hour ago. There's no reason she should have to be grilled over this. She's been through enough and …" He stopped short as she door of the office finally opened.

Phyllis emerged looking exhausted, but better than he'd feared. He moved towards her quickly.

"You okay?" he asked urgently, realizing just how often he'd uttered the phrase in the space of the last few days.

"Just glad it's over," she sighed. Okay would have been a massive overestimation. She stopped for a moment at the desk as she waited for Christine to join them. "It is over, right?" Her voice still held the anxious tone.

Christine's jaw was tight. She'd gotten answers to her questions, but she still had one more objective today. "Almost. There's just one other thing." She pointed towards the room to the left and gestured for both Billy and Phyllis to enter. "You can go in as long as you keep your mouth shut," she warned.

Billy gritted his teeth, but followed quietly with his hand resting on Phyllis' shoulder. He felt her entire body tense as she passed through the doorway.

"What the hell?!" Her warnings no longer mattered. Nothing did. In seconds, he'd moved Phyllis from in front of him and placed body in between the two women. "Is this your idea of some kind of sick joke?"

"What part of keeping your mouth shut did you not comprehend?" Christine glared at him and gestured for an officer to enter. "I'm going to need you to escort from the …"

"Get your hands off me!"

Rey stepped into the room. "What are you …" He looked over at the table before turning to face Christine. "Can you give us a moment?"

"Gladly," Billy sneered as he led Phyllis from the room. Her eyes were filled with the same panic he'd seen in them at the campgrounds. It was a look he'd hoped he would never have to see again and yet here was, much much too soon. "You're okay," he promised her. "He's not gonna touch you. He's never gonna hurt you again. He's never gonna hurt anyone again."

"Why would she do that?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I don't know what she'd planning or what purpose that's supposed to serve but …"

Rey stepped out of the room. "I'm sorry," he said honestly. "All we really need here is a positive ID and if you can do that for us…." He let his eyes rest on Billy. "There's really no reason she has to go …" He hung his head a bit. "I'm sorry."

Billy shook his head. "That's J.T. That's the sorry son of a bitch that terrorized Victoria, Nikki, Sharon, Mac, my kids, his kids, Phyllis, and God only knows who else. So yeah, there's your damn I.D."

Rey shook his head, this time not balking at the justified anger. "That'll do," he said quietly.

* * *

He let out a long sigh as the car slowed to a stop in front of the Athletic Club. "You know, you don't have to come back here right now if you're not ready. I …"

She cut him off. "Billy." The look on his face was devoid of the anger she'd become almost accustomed to seeing from him. It was a nice change, but she couldn't help but wonder how long it would last. He had been in crisis mode before. Billy, the guard dog. And now, the crisis had passed. "I'm sure Victoria will be heading home now that J.T. is where he belongs and I'm absolutely certain she wouldn't be happy to see you with a houseguest."

"Still," he protested. "You could stay at the Abbott house. I'm sure Jack would understand and Kerry, you and her and still close, right? I just don't know that it's the best idea for you be here alone especially given everything that you've …"

"I can't keep living like I'm somebody's victim, Billy. You know that's not my thing. It might work for someone people, but it doesn't' for me." She heard the words as they fell from her lips and she instantly regretted the tone. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded," she said, her eyes closing at the insensitivity that could be gleaned from the comment. "I know everyone has been."

"It's okay," he quickly assured her. "I know what you mean. You've always been independent and strong. You count on that, on that side of yourself and I'm sure it's been maddening to feel like you've needed someone. I'm just glad you've let me be here for you. I'm glad you've been willing to let me help you."

She smiled. "You have. More than you know. But now, it's time for me to help myself and that starts by getting back to my life – my real life." She looked up towards the building in front of them. "And I guess that needs to start now." Her hand reached for the door.

"Well uh …" He spoke quickly, feeling his heart begin to race at the thought of her leaving so soon. "Maybe we could grab some breakfast first … since we didn't have any before going to the station. You said you weren't sure you couldn't stomach anything before, right? You've got to be starving. You've barely eaten anything."

"I'll probably just order something in the room. I'm not sure I'm really up to being the topic of conversation in the at the Club, you know." The look on his face was strange, a flash of something she thought looked a bit like disappointment if she didn't know better. "You're welcome to join me, if you'd like."

"Yeah. If that's alright. I'd like to make sure you get settled in okay. I know you said you're fine, but I'll feel better just seeing that everything's okay." Billy waited until she nodded before he began to climb from the car.

* * *

"I should feel guilty for paying twenty bucks for eggs and toast that I could make at home, shouldn't I?" Billy smiled as he scribbled his name onto the leather pad and handed it back to the attendant.

"You go ahead if you want to," she said, feeling more relaxed than she had in weeks. "I'd pay twice that. These taste nothing like what my version would."

"You're better than you think you are."

She laughed. "Please. I'm horrible. It's an absolute miracle that we lived together as long as we did without the fire department ever having to visit. It's a testament to our mutual love of take out."

He was quiet for a moment and she turned around, to find him simply staring at her.

"What? What's the matter?"

"Nothing. It's just good to hear you laugh. It's been a long time since I've heard it."

"It's been a long time since I've had a reason to do it," she admitted. "But hopefully things are going to get back on track now. For both of us. I can get back to running things at Jabot and you can get back to life with your kids and …" She swallowed before saying the word, "And Victoria."

"You don't have to do that." He let the piece of toast fall back onto the plate, his appetite suddenly fading. "You don't have to minimize what happened here."

"I'm not." She pushed the food around on her plate as she struggled to keep from meeting his gaze. "I'm not minimizing it at all. You were amazing. You got me through something that I'm not sure I would have survived without you, but that's over now and you don't have to protect me anymore. The danger is gone. J.T. is in jail and he's going to stay there. I don't need to be protected."

"And you think that's all this was?"

She let a puff of breath leave her lips before bringing the mimosa towards it. It was too early for wine, but she'd figured a mimosa was the most socially way to consume some early morning liquid courage. "Wasn't it?"

"At first, maybe." He stood up, needing to walk, to move, to give his brain a chance to spin inside his head and work through the jumble of words and thoughts that seemed to clog up his mind. "But that's not what it is now. I don't know how to describe. I don't know how to tell you exactly what it is, but I know it's not about protecting you. I just know that when I had to think about not …" He stopped, the words getting lost in the space between his brain and his mouth. "When I had to really think that I might not ever see you again, the other stuff, it just kind of faded away. I know there's a lot of stuff that happened. I'm not stupid. I haven't forgotten that things happened. Terrible things. Awful things. I did a lot of things that you probably still can't even begin to forgive me for and you have every right to feel that way, but I guess what I'm saying is I'm just so thankful that you're still here because it means that maybe I have a chance to try to make it right or maybe I'll just have a chance to fight with you some more."

He moved closer to her again, pulling the chair he'd been sitting to her closer and sitting down so he could look into her eyes. "And if we fight, it's because we're still connected and we still care enough and we're still trying to figure out how to do this and that means there's something still there. We're not the kind of people that are going to be happy all the time. Sometimes we're gonna be downright miserable, but I'd take miserable with you over happy with anybody else. We can figure all this out and we can do it together because at the end of the day, I love you, Phyllis. I love the moments when we're happy, when it feels like we're the only two people in the world that exist. I love the moments when we're crazy, when we're both just trying to survive that whirlwind that we call our life. I even love the arguments, when we scream and yell and there are tears because it means we care enough to do all those things and it means we love enough to fight for it. I love it all. I miss it all. I miss you."

She said nothing.

"It's okay," he finally said after a moment. "I get it. I know that I've been pretty awful to you lately and I get that you probably need some time to just …"

"No. It's just … I just don't know what to say …"

"I know it's a lot," he continued. "After everything that's happened and …"

"No. I don't' mean it like that. It's just, everything you just said, all those beautiful things, I can see how much you mean them. They just came pouring out of you and I'm sitting here trying to think of something I can say that will come anywhere close to that when all I really want to do is …"

"What?"

She dropped her head slightly, her cheeks flushing. "I just want to kiss you," she whispered.

His hand gently swept the hair away from her face, his eyes glancing down at the fingerprint bruises that still remained on her neck. It was good that J.T. was behind bars for if he had one more chance in a room alone with him, he wouldn't walk away. He snapped back to attention as he felt the warmth of her body press against his, the flutter of her breath tickling his jaw. She kissed him for what felt like forever with neither of them wanting to be the first to break. When she finally pulled away, her eyes shone up at him, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"I love you," she whispered.

"See," he said quietly, "you knew exactly what to say."

The End


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